Sounds like a great deal to me!.... Ill buy it for 2k! lol!
And if you were the little brother, YOU were the cupholder!...he is spoiled. I when when I grew up it was four of us in a regular cab and whoever was on the hump had the shifter between his legs 🤣
Thank you. I appreciate that. I don’t have a 100% exact price as I haven’t added up all the receipts yet. But am looking at around $2300 in parts/tools. I did purchase a welder and gas and a few other tools that were needed, that’s included in the price.You did a fantastic job on this. It's really impressive and inspiring. Thank you for sharing the story. How much did parts cost you total? How many hours do you think you put into it?
I like that you already have the Bilstein front struts on. Since your corrosion protection will probably not be as good as factory on those body pieces, I recommend spraying them inside and out with Fluid Film. Fluid Film creeps over time so you wouldn't have to cover every bit of surface if you spray it.
Wow, the way I see it you bought that car for four and a half thousand dollars plus your time. And of course you can use the tools later, and you learned a lot about the car in the process. That is such a win. And to think a great car like that would have gone to the junk yard to be torn apart. $560 for the grill is so much. I looked at them before, and they are cheaper on Ebay non OEM, but who knows about the quality.Thank you. I appreciate that. I don’t have a 100% exact price as I haven’t added up all the receipts yet. But am looking at around $2300 in parts/tools. I did purchase a welder and gas and a few other tools that were needed, that’s included in the price.
$2,300 parts/tools/supplies
$1,600 buy back purchase price
$650 painting fender/bumper price
So total I am right around the $4,550 mark. I am happy and totally stoked to still have the vehicle and now it’s paid off 😂. I was fortunate that most of my parts came from a local pull a part yard and the rest only from an hour and a half away. I did purchase a new radiator and A/C compressor from rock auto and my father in law recharged the system. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a used grill so that was a bit of an investment from Nissan at $560 with the emblem
Hours wise is a little harder. If I had to guess I probably have around 40-50 ish hours in getting it back together. Mostly a couple long days. There isn’t really much to the front ends once the welding was done. Just a big Lego set. Normally I just go out and am determined to get certain things done and don’t come in from the garage until it’s accomplished.(wife is not a fan😀).
Fluid Film is a good idea. I was actually suprised as when I disassembled there was like no rust under the fender liners at all. In great shape for the year.
I agree. I am 100% happy with how it went down. Obviously I would rather go back before the accident any day of the week but whatever, it is what it is right. Been wanting a MIG welder and plasma cutter for a long time anyways so that’s just a bonus. I agree the grille cost was crazy. However the 04-07 grilles are a dime a dozen, and can find aftermarket ones all over the place, but couldn’t find any aftermarket grilles for the 08-15 style. A couple used ones with broken clips for $350-$400 however in my opinion for that much I may as well go new. Call me crazy.Wow, the way I see it you bought that car for four and a half thousand dollars plus your time. And of course you can use the tools later, and you learned a lot about the car in the process. That is such a win. And to think a great car like that would have gone to the junk yard to be torn apart. $560 for the grill is so much. I looked at them before, and they are cheaper on Ebay non OEM, but who knows about the quality.
Did you research whether this radiator has the ATF coolant intermix issue? Will you let us know how titling goes?
$400 for a used grill with broken clips is comical. How many miles does it have on it? I wonder how much of a factor age plays into intermixing. It's hard to get good information about intermixing for Armadas.I agree. I am 100% happy with how it went down. Obviously I would rather go back before the accident any day of the week but whatever, it is what it is right. Been wanting a MIG welder and plasma cutter for a long time anyways so that’s just a bonus. I agree the grille cost was crazy. However the 04-07 grilles are a dime a dozen, and can find aftermarket ones all over the place, but couldn’t find any aftermarket grilles for the 08-15 style. A couple used ones with broken clips for $350-$400 however in my opinion for that much I may as well go new. Call me crazy.
I agree, the thought of this car being torn apart really made me sick to my stomach. We bought it 3 years ago and it was a peach. The interior didn’t even look like it was sat in. Love this truck!! Honestly my most favorite vehicle I have ever owned. Comfortable, good looking, and plenty fast when it needs to be. And my wife loves and named the car so we really wanted to keep it.
I installed a new Denso radiator. I am not sure about the intermixing issue with the radiator. I honestly thought it was age that made the other ones do that. However if that’s not the case and it’s possible with the brand new one I will just disconnect the cooler and bypass it like it was before. Anybody know if the Denso radiators are an issue?
The title is the best part. I had the loan through a local credit union. Insurance paid off the vehicle and the bank sent me a clean released title. I am not selling the vehicle so I am not going to worry about it for the time being. My insurance company has no problem still insuring it so we are just planing on driving the wheels off of it.
Only things I sitting need to do is get the parking sensors all straightened out and start saving money as the piss poorly designed headers have started leaking.
I know it sounds crazy but true. Car parts are at a premium right now. So at least she has a nice shine chrome grille.$400 for a used grill with broken clips is comical. How many miles does it have on it? I wonder how much of a factor age plays into intermixing. It's hard to get good information about intermixing for Armadas.
That's fantastic about the title. I could see this being one of those situations where what should be the easy part, the paperwork, is actually a real pain. Good thing it worked out like it should, and nobody is messing with your hard work.
I have read on multiple threads that if the exhaust manifolds are leaking, you should not drive it. An explanation I read is that it starts to run rich, the cat breaks up, and pieces get back into the engine scoring the cylinders. People recommend Cajun B Pipes, but I don't know if that's the best route.
It looks great. It's frustrating the paint job isn't as good as it should be, but I imagine nobody will notice it unless they are looking for it, and the grill does look nice with the mirrors. If you decide what to do about the manifolds, it would be cool to hear about that as well. It's a shame Nissan left something that ruins engines for the 10 or so years Armadas were produced.Finished product. Still have a few smaller items plaguing me. Have a small coolant leak somewhere that I can find for the life of me. Still trying to figure out the parking sensors. The shop who painted them didn’t do as good of a job as I would have liked, so hard to find good body shops now days. But it’s black.
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Firstly, GREAT job on the Armada! She looks new again!I know it sounds crazy but true. Car parts are at a premium right now. So at least she has a nice shine chrome grille.
She has 140,000 miles on her right now.
Intersting about the manifolds. I just know I hear them tick a little at start up and it goes away after it warms up. I have looked into the Cajun pipes. Probably just need to pull the trigger
It is very hard to get info on these things. This is a nice forum but kinda dead especially with the older stuff. Maybe it’s dead because they are awesome cars and run forever. Let’s go with that one.